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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 4h

What happened to all those constitutional conservatives in Congress?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8h

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 5h

substack.com/inbox/post/1...

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Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 1d

Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

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NEH Union - AFGE L3403 @nehafge3403.bsky.social · 1d

The cuts at the National Endowment for the Humanities go far deeper than any of these agencies - almost 70% of 179 people were terminated, despite no change to the agency's budget.

There were no savings here - only idealogical destruction. #NEH

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 2d

How much smaller the federal workforce is now vs. a year ago
Ed Dept 42%
OPM 33%
HUD 31%
Treasury 29%
Defense (civilian jobs) 22%
Small Biz Admin 21%
Energy 20%
Interior 15%
HHS 14%
SSA 11%
EPA 10%
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

How Much Smaller Is the Federal Work Force? Shutdown Plans Offer a Clue.

The number of federal employees has been trimmed by thousands since President Trump took office, according to contingency plans drawn up by federal agencies.

www.nytimes.com

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Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 4d

I visited the apartment building ICE raided on Tuesday today. Story to come, but you can walk right in. Half of the apartments have no doors on them. Children's stuff abandoned in some flats. *Citizen* residents told me they were arrested and held for hours in zipties. This is America

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d

When in Doubt, Blame the Immigrants
www.thebulwark.com/p/when-in-do...

When in Doubt, Blame the Immigrants

No. You’re not experiencing déjà vu. The current Republican government shutdown talking point is the same one they’ve trotted out before.

www.thebulwark.com

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Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · 2d

Claim: 10 cars rammed ICE
Truth: No cars rammed ICE

Claim: She boxed ICE in
Truth: ICE boxed her in

Claim: She shot a rifle at ICE
Truth: She did not have a rifle

Claim: ICE returned fire
Truth: Only ICE fired

Claim: She drove herself to the hospital
Truth: Paramedics found her

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 2d

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

trib.al

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 3d

We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops.

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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 3d

Calling up one state's National Guard to deploy in another state against latter's express wishes raises issues - constitutional, legal, political, and historical - that federalizing a state's own National Guard does not. And are distinct from deploying other state NGs into federally-controlled DC.

Cathy Gellis @cathygellis.bsky.social · 3d

We're going to get an original jurisdiction case at SCOTUS between Illinois (or Oregon) and Texas, aren't we.

Maybe even this week...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 3d

UPDATE: Hegseth today called up 400 members of the Texas National Guard, with Gov. Abbott's apparent permission, to be deployed "where needed, including in the cities of Portland and Chicago." www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

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Anil Kalhan @akalhan.bsky.social · 3d

"[A]gents engulfed my car in tear gas, smashed my driver-side window, and pepper-sprayed my face.... I spent three nights and three days in federal custody. No explanation. No charges. No apology. One day, I was just told, 'you’re free to go.'" #KavanaughStop

I’m a US citizen and a veteran. ICE arrested me for no reason.

Jailed for three days without an explanation or ability to notify anyone, George Retes argues the only path to healing starts with the government taking accountability for its actions.

newsletter.ofthebrave.org

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Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 3d

EOs and memos aren't laws. Get lost.

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Cathy Gellis @cathygellis.bsky.social · 3d

This is jawdropping. The idea that a state about to be invaded by out-of-state soldiers that Trump is moving around the nation like chess pieces has no standing to object to the invasion!

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 3d

DOJ: Well, CA NG already federalized, and ...

Judge: Anything else you want to argue?

DOJ: Yes, your honor. OR and Portland lack standing to challenge relocation of out-of-state National Guard. Only CA could possibly sue under 12406, but CA can't establish standing or irreparable harm.

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Stockholm University @stockholm-uni.bsky.social · 5d

”There is a dramatic change when women become mothers while nothing is happening to the fathers. Motherhood penalties around the world account for much of the gender pay gap in advanced economies.”
Professor Marianne Bertrand delivering this year´s Gunnar Myrdal lecture.
www.su.se/english/news...

Marianne Bertrand explaining the

Marianne Bertrand, Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, held a lecture at Stockholm University last week, in front of an audience of around 150 people includin...

www.su.se

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James Cameron @jjjcameron.bsky.social · 2d

All three of NATO's nuclear powers are currently experiencing periods of domestic political turmoil, which is not great to put it mildly.

Helene von Bismarck @helenebismarck.bsky.social · 2d

If you are overly focused on the admittedly increasingly batsh*t character of British politics, don‘t neglect the batsh*t character of French politics.

Emma Jacobs @emmavj.bsky.social · 2d

Ah, the famous French work-life balance

on.ft.com/4mTFYVb French prime minister resigns less than a month after appointment

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Genevieve Lakier @genevievelakier.bsky.social · 3d

I think universities should instead SUE the gov for what is a blatantly unconstitutional art of the deal. And they should start prepping their lawsuit now, before the Compact goes into effect.

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Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 3d

This is a really outstanding post. "That’s the point of the compact. .... It is about control. Specifically it is about turning existing federal law, over which the administration has limited control, into terms of a 'deal' that offers the government much more control."

Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 4d

I thought I'd put the administration's proposed "compact" with universities in context, so I wrote the blog post below.

It's especially for journalists covering this story!

Many details about how the compact itself works and why the administration has retreated to this strategy.

Balkinization: The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal

A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics

balkin.blogspot.com

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Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 4d

The regime’s playbook:

Launch militarized raids in America’s cities to provoke a reaction.

Then claim the reaction is insurrection to justify even more authoritarian action.

The regime is using state-sanctioned violence to create a crisis.

There is no justification for violence by anyone.

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Nick Carnes @carnes.bsky.social · 4d

What do you have to do to a person to make them behave like this? What brings a person to a point in their life where they’re gleefully inflicting lawless, unjust violence like this?

Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 5d

ICE officers stopped a family at gunpoint and smashed the car window on top of the newborn baby. “I was screaming that there was a baby,” cried the mother. “But they didn’t care,” and covered the baby with their bodies, fearing that the glass would hurt him.

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Stephen Gutowski @stephengutowski.bsky.social · 5d

There are like a dozen videos this bad or worse per week now. This stuff is insane.

alexjungle.bsky.social @alexjungle.bsky.social · 5d

Breaking news: ICE stops family at gunpoint—smash car window on top of newborn baby.

"I was screaming that there was a baby. But they didn’t care," cried mother.

“I covered my baby with my body—I was so scared he was going to be hurt because glass was landing on him."

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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 5d

Important context from @genevievelakier.bsky.social:

Genevieve Lakier @genevievelakier.bsky.social · 5d

The Trump Administration’s “Compact of Excellence” for Universities is... far from excellent! Indeed, it’s unconstitutional. In this post, let me count the ways.

blog.dividedargument.com/p/the-uncons...

The Unconstitutional Conditions Doctrine and the Compact for Excellence

Members of the Trump administration love to say that federal funding is a privilege not a right and therefore something that can be granted or withheld based on changing administrative priorities.

blog.dividedargument.com

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Yael Schacher @yaelschacher.bsky.social · 5d

The Trump administration is ignoring unambiguous legal mandates. It doesn’t care. It’s the most lawless administration we have ever had.

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Elliott Young @elliottyoung.bsky.social · 5d

District Court in Northern California and 9th Circuit Appeals Court agreed that TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians should not be terminated, but SCOTUS gives the OK to inflict more harm while they ponder the case. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 5d

BREAKING: SCOTUS (again) allows Sec. Noem to proceed with ending Temporary Protect Status for more than 600,000 Venezuelans, over the objection of the three Democratic appointees.

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
No. 25A326
KRISTI NOEM, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, ET AL. v. NATIONAL TPS ALLIANCE, ET AL.
ON APPLICATION FOR A STAY
[October 3, 2025]
In March of this year, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California entered a preliminary order postponing the effective date of the Secretary of Homeland Security's decision to remove "temporary protected status" (TPS) from Venezuelan nationals living in the United States. See 8 U.S. C. §1254a; 5 U.S. C. §705.
In May, this Court stayed that order while the Government appealed. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ultimately affirmed the District Court's preliminary order. Last month, the District Court entered final judgment in respondents' favor, holding unlawful and setting aside the Secretary's actions effectuating her decision— namely, her vacatur of a pending extension of TPS for Venezuelan nationals, and her termination of that status itself.
See 5 U. S. C. §706(2). (The District Court also concluded that the Secretary unlawfully vacated a TPS extension for Haitian nationals. The Government now seeks to stay the portions of the District Court's judgment pertaining to Ven-ezuela, but not Haiti. See Application 7, n. 6.)
The application for stay presented to JUSTICE KAGAN and by her referred to the Court is granted. Although the posture of the case has changed, the parties' legal arguments and relative harms generally have not. The same result that we reached in May is appropriate here.

NOEM v. NATIONAL TPS ALLIANCE
JACKSON, J., dissenting
The September 5, 2025 order entered by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, case No. 25-cv-1766, is stayed as to the Venezuela vacatur and Venezuela termination, pending the disposition of the Government's appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari, if such writ is timely sought. Should the petition for a writ of certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically. In the event certiorari is granted, the stay shall terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court.
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR and JUSTICE KAGAN would deny the application.
JUSTICE JACKSON, dissenting from the grant of application for stay.

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Kathleen Bush-Joseph @kathleenbush.bsky.social · 5d

Another SCOTUS decision allowing the Trump admin to move ahead with ending TPS protections for Venezuelans while the case continues in the lower courts

Link to the SCOTUS docket update here: www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?...

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Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 5d

They’re literally socially constructing gender out of sand and metal after a decade of tut-tutting about women being adult human females ONLY

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 5d

A lot of tech bros who were upset about pronouns want to confer them on their computers now that they’re dating

Cate Denial @cjdenial.bsky.social · 5d

Can we stop calling an artificial representation of a person by a human-coded name? "She" does not exist. "She" is a reflection of someone's ingenue dreams, but "she" is pixels and code.

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Beth Popp Berman @epopppp.bsky.social · 5d

"The last, and perhaps most important, thing that I want to impress upon anyone considering entering The Compact is that it’s the beginning, not the end...

Campuses will be forced to comply with yet unspecified demands to meet the Trump administration’s assessment of The Compact’s obligations."

Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 6d

I wrote a too long and yet incomplete assessment about why The Compact the Trump administation is proposing to several major research universities is a bad deal for higher education.

A Rotten Compact

The Trump Administrations Proposed Compact opens the door for federal control of higher education.

open.substack.com

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